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News
New Releases
Festivals
Listen
Watch
Charts
Credits
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August 31 - September 13
Earplug is a twice-monthly email magazine, delivering a handpicked selection of news,
sounds, videos, and original features to the international electronic-music community.
We'll admit to occasionally harboring a European bias when it comes to electronic music, but we'll be eagerly watching Seattle's
Decibel Festival for signs of a North American resurgence; likewise, our Watch section looks back on the path-making career of Chicago's post-rocking, genre-crossing fusionists, Tortoise, who've been
instrumental in making circuit-born forms more acceptable to US ears. And if you're curious about what's banging in Bologna,
São Paulo, London, West Sussex, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, London, and — as ever — Berlin, check our Reviews, Charts, and Listen sections to dance locally and think globally.
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The Starbucks Salon runs every day from September 8th through September 17th at 76 Greene Street in Soho (between Spring & Broome), with rotating
art, interactive installations, free nightly performances, and more. We'll be open all day Sunday through Tuesday from 10am-10pm,
and Wednesday through Saturday from 10am-11pm. Come by and drink in the festivities.
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Desire's Return
French label relaunches
Remember Micronauts? They were indestructible things, those bendy action figures and their alloy spaceships; cherry bombs couldn't put a dent
in superheroes like Pharoid and Galactic Defender. The Micronauts, on the other hand, were less durable: the duo of George Issakidis and Christophe "Widowsky" Monier had a string of hits
for Virgin's Science imprint in the '90s and turned out well-regarded remixes for Chemical Brothers, Underworld, and even
Madonna, but the pair split in 2000, with Monier keeping custody of the alias for his solo work.
Issakidis may have shed his married name, but he's proving himself a worthy descendant of its plastic forebears, bouncing
back not once but twice. In 2004 he launched the Paris-based label the Republic of Desire, releasing two of his own 12-inches and a single from disco mutant Midnight Mike, before lapsing into radio silence. (In the meantime, Issakidis gave Output's Colder the rave remix treatment and teamed up with Speedy J for two Collabs singles, while James Holden kept the desiring dream alive by licensing an unreleased Issakidis cut for his At the Controls mix.) Finally, the Republic of Desire — a name that fairly reflects Issakidis and his music's, erm, ecstatic inclinations — will relaunch this October. The label's new releases will include Issakidis' woozy electro-house banger "Into
Your Life," followed by Midnight Mike's "Creatures of Habit," a grinding schaffel number backed with a glamtastic rework —
think Goldfrapp recording for Kompakt.
With Speedy J (as Jason Haas) and other, still unannounced, superstar acts on board, plus graphics by Björk collaborators
M/M Paris and web design by sansserifgrafik, the Republic of Desire 2.0 is shaping up to be one of the most stylish labels around. Now if only Colette could commission Kaws to put a contemporary spin on Galactic Defender... (PS)
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MORE HEADLINES
Chipping Away
Hot Chip plan world tour for fall more »
Combat Is the Most, Bro
Israeli, Palestinian hip-hop face off more »
I Dream of Electric Macs
Deep Dish cook up an Apple cobbler more »
The Artist Formerly Known as Jacko
Prince, Michael Jackson vie for pop's crown more »
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Artist: |
A Guy Called Gerald |
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| Album: |
Proto Acid: The Berlin Sessions |
| Label: |
Laboratory Instinct |
| Release: |
August 22 |
On this satisfying new album, rave pioneer Gerald Simpson adds yet another masterful entry to an already formidable discography.
Gerald's Proto Acid takes Detroit techno and Chicago house sounds from the second half of the '80s and douses them with contemporary electro
for good measure. With so much genre-jumping, you might expect the 71-minute, single-session recording to swerve from its
course, but the album maintains unity, blending disparate textures and timbres to excellent effect. Highlights include the
tribal funk opener, "Marching Powder," which finds its opposite in the chilled closer, "Sweet You." In between those, look
out for hard synth workouts and ethereal bleeps on "Andromeda," "Transition," and "Bass-O-Tran." The end result is a "live
in the studio" album that works on headphones, but carries the dance floor in a way that Gerald's last few albums for !K7
never could. (JRC)
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Artist: |
Cassy |
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| Album: |
Panorama Bar 01 |
| Label: |
Ostgut |
| Release: |
September 12 |
The essence of a mix CD should lie in the mix itself — specifically, the track-to-track segues, when the listener snaps to
attention with the slightest shift in acoustics. Nowadays, sadly, many DJs construct their sets via computer, machine-tooling
the transitions to the point where spontaneity never blossoms. Cassy, a resident at Berlin's famed Panorama Bar, ain't playing
that. She sticks to the two-turntables-and-a-mixer routine, and what the mix might lack in slickness (you can even hear the
dust on the vinyl) is more than made up for by the bumping ride itself. This is a Berlin-oriented mix, so there's plenty of
minimal techno to be had. But unlike many of her uncompromising peers, Cassy defines minimal widely enough to include the
deeper-than-deep house of old-school pioneer Rick Wade's "Night Station," the lush Detroitisms of Shed's "Well Done," and
the skittering breakstep of DJ Abstract's "Touch." Actually, screw the minimal tag: this mix will long outlast buzzwords and
backlash alike. (BT)
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Artist: |
Fuckpony |
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| Album: |
Children of Love |
| Label: |
Get Physical |
| Release: |
September 26 |
Fuckpony. It's a phrase you spit out, like "sex dwarf" or "slam pig." It's a sleazy, sweaty, and possibly debasing name. And
it's all the insight needed into this project between Berlin-based American Jay Haze and Swiss Samim Winiger. Haze's early
contexterrior work was taupe and short of spirit, but that history is quickly forgotten when the title track, "Children of Love," begins
pulsing with a raw, Moodymann-like energy. More filter-funk than minimal, the album shows few moments of seriousness (unless
"Ride the Pony" is some kind of summer-camp mandate). On "It's Only Music," bonkers vocals implore "Just have fun, baby,"
before a badass breakdown proves the point with wild abandon. Pony up. (NP)
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Artist: |
Various |
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| Album: |
Confuzed Disco: A Retrospective of Italian Records |
| Label: |
Mantra Vibes |
| Release: |
August 22 |
Italo-house is a post-disco syndrome, akin to shellshock, acquired by clubland survivalists. It zealously connects electro-funk,
hip-hop, and new wave, trespassing into Latin freestyle, Hi-NRG, and R&B. Here, its enraptured base rallies 'round the console
for a double-CD defense of Bologna's greatest hits. Confuzed Disco represents the late-'70s/early-'80s phenomenon's eclectic spirit with original mixes and contemporary reworks of the classics.
Noteworthy upgrades include Radio Slave's nihilistic buzz cut to Kirlian Camera's "Blue Room," Kiki's thoroughly lubed tune-up
of Gaz Nevada's tanker "Oil Tubes," Kaos' dark dub of N.O.I.A.'s squeaky "True Love," and the Pinktronix techno edit of "Hear
the Rumble." For kicks, Franz & Shape fling "Stranger in a Strange Land" into a remote orbit where it's pollinated by a Maskio
mix of "Thailand Seeds" and Morgan Geist's weightless "Special Agent Man (Sleeping on the Moon)" edit. Confused? We thought
so. Such are the enduring mysteries of Italo. (JH)
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Artist: |
São Paulo Underground |
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| Album: |
Sauna: Um, Dois, Três |
| Label: |
Submarine/Aesthetics |
| Release: |
July 2006 |
Showing multifold synergy, São Paulo Underground's first record is a joint release by Brazil's Submarine Records and the American
label Aesthetics, as well as a collaboration between Chicago ex-pat Rob Mazurek — formerly of Mandarin Movie, Isotope 217,
and Chicago Underground Duo — on cornet and drummer/composer Mauricio Takara, of prime Paulista vanguardists Hurtmold. A host
of contributors pitch in on this dense amalgam of real-time playing and studio experimentation. A tropical heat wave permeates
"Olhossss…" as our two intrepid explorers pick through a jungle of drums, horns, and laptops. Rolling drums and melodic guitar
lines give "Afrihouse" a distinct Afrobeat feel, and "Pombaral" mutates from almost chirpy cornet lines into ghostly, dubbed-out
ambience. Those familiar with Takara's work will know that it avoids obviously Brazilian signifiers; in their stead, a galaxy
of otherworldly sounds and rhythms keep the listener occupied. (AC)
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EARPLUG FAVES
Trentemøller,
The Last Resort
(Poker Flat)
Exercise One,
12 Years EP
(Lan Muzic)
Geeneus,
"Bad Beat"
(Soulja)
D1, "Missin"
(Tempa)
Henrik Schwarz,
DJ Kicks
(!K7)
International Pony,
Mit Dir Sind Wir Vier
(Sony/BMG)
Lindstrøm,
It's a Feedelity Affair
(Smalltown Supersound)
Radio Slave,
"Secret Base"
(Rekids)
Raudive,
"Turn It Off"
(Klang)
Sleeper Thief,
Chasing You
(Mobilee)
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PREVIEW: Decibel Festival
September 14-17
Seattle, WA
www.dbfestival.com
The Pacific Northwest isn't exactly known for its thriving rave scene, but you might believe otherwise if all you had to go
on was the Decibel Festival crew's enthusiastic representation at MUTEK this year — there must've been 20 Decibel staffers
there, eagerly taking notes when not busting moves. DB's third year offers a lineup fairly unprecedented in the Northwest
club scene, running from the nearly inaudible to the irrepressibly banging, and presenting artists from Mexico, Japan, and
Europe, as well as tapping Left Coast and Midwestern talents. Throw in shadowy after-hours events and visual presentations
miles beyond typical VJ fare, and you'll be flying the "Free Cascadia" banner all the way home. (PS)
LINEUP: Alex Smoke, Andreas Tilliander, [a]pendics.shuffle, Apparat, Bola, Chachi Jones, Claude VonStroke, Deru, Fax, Green Velvet, Jeremy Ellis, Jerry Abstract, Kate Simko, Latinsizer, Lusine, Mokira, Mr. Projectile, Murcof, Nortec Collective, Panoptica, Randy Jones, Ruoho Ruotsi, Ryoichi Kurokawa, Scott Pagano, Speedy J, Taylor Deupree, Telefon Tel Aviv, Thomas Fehlmann, and more.
REVIEW: Open Source Festival
August 19
Düsseldorf, Germany
www.combination-rec.de
They say that every cloud has a silver lining. In the case of Düsseldorf's Open Source Festival, the inaugural event of Combination Records' (hoped-to-be) annual affair, the old adage took a literal turn — although not in time to spare Rhythm & Sound and Tikiman's Jah-loving digital dub from turning into a rain dance, nor to swell the crowd to the hoped-for numbers. But
the 2000 people (many wearing rubber Wellies) who turned out for the open-air, riverside festival were treated to tight curation
across a range of genres, from Mouse on Mars' full-band mayhem to Jake the Rapper's uncategorizable brand of electro-infused hip-hop. Zoot Woman, Egoexpress, Digitalism, Ty, and Phoneheads proved the main-stage mainstays, but the likes of Jan Jelinek, Static, Andrew Pekler, and Daze Maxim (aka heartz4) offered more oblique pleasures in smaller tents. Come nightfall — and, maddeningly, moonrise — the party moved
inside a cozy, glass-walled venue with a killer roof terrace for a down-and-dirty house party featuring DJ Phanta, a killer
live set from Douglas Greed, and still more cracking electro-house DJs whose names we didn't catch (too busy dancing, sorry). DJ Koze was nearly a no-show: the Hamburg train stations were closed due to a bomb threat, but the Kompakt DJ rented a car and drove
himself the whole dang way, showing up just in time to make the sunrise booty-fully transcendent. A lesser DJ might have simply
cancelled, but the International Pony man proved himself a caballero. Someone give that man a medal. (PS)
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Ricardo Villalobos: Live at SonneMondSterne (MP3)
It was freezing at the outdoor stages, but Villalobos had steam pumping out of his tent at Thüringen's SonneMondSterne fest.
Although the man himself seemed more subdued than normal, his beats were anything but. Minimal, schminimal: rave strikes back.
 LISTEN |
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Mike Shannon: RA020 (podcast/MP3)
Those intrepid clubgoers who survived Sónar with energy to spare were treated to a rousing set from Mike Shannon at the Raum club's afterparty. For those of us who snoozed through the funk and clatter, there's this Resident Advisor podcast of the
night, complete with crowd noise to remind us exactly what we missed.
LISTEN |
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St. Plomb: Dark Matters Mix (MP3)
In honor of Crowdpleaser and St. Plomb's upcoming tour, we present an acerbic mix from the latter half of that dynamic duo
— an electro-techno shock out with enough acid in it to clean the most stubborn pipes.
LISTEN |
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White Light Circus: DC Recordings Presents Death Before Distemper (stream)
Chicken Lips' Dean Meredith assumes his White Light Circus guise for this down-and-dirty mix of funk, electro, and prog rock,
in honor of DC Recordings' 10-year-anniversary comp, Death Before Distemper. Inoculate yourself now.
LISTEN |
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From: Aleix To: Sideral (Cronological, Personal & Original Soundtrack) (stream/podcast)
New Spanish online radio Musicvictim.com offers a touching tribute to the recently passed local hero Sideral, in the form
of some of the eclectic, celebrated DJ's favorite songs and club staples.
LISTEN |
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Looking for more hot mix sets and fresh new tracks? Check out Blentwell for an ongoing document of the evolution of blended music
online.
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Tortoise
A Lazarus Taxon
Thrill Jockey, 3xCD + DVD
Considering that three quarters of the new Tortoise rarities box set consists of CDs, readers may wonder why we've chosen to place it all the way down here, rather than up top
with the rest of the reviews. But instrumental post-rock like the type Tortoise have been dreaming up for nearly 18 years
is often associated with the moving image, and the clips included here further solidify that relationship. Some consist of
footage from unpredictable live performances, while others are specifically commissioned videos for the band. Most are the
personal, internal reflections that can only result from the battling kits of Tortoise percussionists John Herndon, Dan Bitney,
and John McEntire, or the tricky interplay between Jeff Parker's minimalist guitar and Doug McCombs' coagulating bass lines.
Appropriately named after a phenomenon in which an organism is rediscovered after having been widely considered extinct for years, A Lazarus Taxon is an unprecedented accumulation of Tortoise singles, b-sides, and remixes created between 1995 and 2001. Classic, vinyl-only
cuts like "Gamera" (arguably one of their best) and "Why We Fight" fill in the gaps of a discography almost as varied and
widespread as the musical lineage of Tortoise themselves. And it's all tied together by the accompanying DVD, which showcases
not only Tortoise's breathtaking live chops (many consider the band to be more compelling on stage than on record), but shows
the human — and even humorous — side of a band often criticized for its stolid, intellectual approach to music-making.
Keep reading »
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MORE VIDEO
Zero 7 + Jose Gonzalez, "Left Behind" watch »
Adem, "Launch Yourself" watch »
International Pony "Gothic Girl" watch »
Tunng, "Jenny Again" watch »
Bugz in the Attic, "Move Aside" watch »
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Each week, Earplug sneaks a peek inside the crates of our favorite DJs. We'll even help you beef up your own bag: click on
selected titles to preview tracks, download MP3s, or purchase vinyl.
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Dave Clarke
(Music Man)
West Sussex, England
www.daveclarke.com
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- Ulterior,
"The Death of Everything"
(Advanced)
- Smith & Selway, "Blink of an Eye"
(CD-R)
- Anthony Rother, "Youth"
(Datapunk)
- Redshape, "Shaped World"
(Delsin)
- DJ XentriX,
"Driving Higher"
(CD-R)
- Advent,
"Templar"
(Etrx 30)
- Noirdegout,
"Sharks Bay"
(CD-R)
- Poni Hoax, "Budapest"
(Tigersushi)
- Dcast Dynamics, "Trans Migrations"
(Southern Outpost)
- Adam Jay,
"Goathead"
(CD-R)
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About Us |
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Earplug is an email magazine dedicated to electronic music and
its many dynamic styles and influences. Published every two weeks, it features a handpicked
selection of music news, cultural spotlights, tip sheets, CD reviews, original reporting,
and music festival previews and reviews. Earplug offers only pure editorial and unbiased
news — no money is accepted from any artists, labels, promoters, or companies
seeking mention.
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Media Partnerships |
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Every other week, Earplug presents one exclusive media
partner. Click for more information about
advertising opportunities on Earplug and across all Flavorpill
publications.
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Cover Art |
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We have an open call to create the covers that run at the
top of each issue. If you would like to submit a design, please email us at design and we'll send you the necessary specs.
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Submissions/Feedback |
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Tell us what you think is exciting and worth including in Earplug by dropping us an email at tips. Writers interested in getting even more involved should reach us at contribute. To criticize, praise, or generally comment on this publication, please send an email
to feedback.
In addition to this twice-monthly digest of new electronic music, Flavorpill also publishes nine other email
magazines, covering ART, BOOKS, NEWS, FASHION, and cultural events in five cities — NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO, CHICAGO, and LONDON.
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